DaySleeper

The day the shelter reopens is a strange day.

About twenty-five women come in during the course of the day, and only a handful of them have children, which makes my job very easy, seeing as all I’ve been assigned is watching the kids and doing the dishes.

But still.

Josiah is dropped off as the moms leave and our single school age child boards the bus. I bring him inside and he tells everyone that we’re going to play hide and seek.

So we do.

Two little girls, Reese and Joanne, hide under the same bed in wing A, while all the other kids hide in… better places. I go and hide in the closet while Avid counts for Josiah, up to seventy.

“Ready or not, here I come!” Jo screams and he finds the two little girls easily. He finds me next and I pout and play along that I am very disappointed that I was such a poor hider. He cheers and continues to look for everyone else.

“I missed this,” Avid admits when I sit down next to him.

“Me too,” I agree.

“You know, we’re supposed to be having a special dinner again tonight?” Avid says.

“Again?”

“Yep.”

“What for?”

“The official reopening.”

I sigh.

“If this is some misguided way to make me gain weight, it’s working,” I complain.

“Shush,” he says. I roll my eyes and smile.

~~
The dinner is the first back, so by special, they meant very well made. Mike outdid himself. As an official volunteer now, I serve the food, and eat after everyone has gotten their food. So, naturally, Avid and I are the last ones done, so we’re left to clean up while everyone goes off, back to their rooms, or to watch the news in the lounge. Avid and I do the light load of dishes and talk about when we think the shelter will be full again.

“I mean, it’s obviously a bad thing if it is,” Avid points out.

“But I miss it,” I reply.

“I know. I do too.”

“But you’re right,” I agree, “I guess we should be happy that so few people need us here.”

“Plus, we get to go home earlier when there are less people.”

“Yay!”

“Sarcastic little shit,” Avid says. I laugh, my head thrown back.

“Sometimes you sound British or something,” I tell him. He rolls his eyes.

“Let’s go home,” he says, finishing up.

I smile and follow him out, turning off the lights and closing the door.

~~
I wake up that night as my blankets move around me. I look to my side blearily and see an apologetic Avid slinking under the covers.

“You okay?” I ask, my voice scratchy from sleep.

“Yeah,” he says, “can I sleep here tonight?”

“Course,” I mumble, moving over so he has room in the twin bed.

He laughs at the small space and asks if I’m okay.

“Yeah,” I reply. He smiles.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he says.

“I’m glad I’m here too,” I reply, looking into his eyes as we whisper.

“I was really worried you’d want to leave for awhile. Even when we weren’t talking, which sounds bad…”

“Don’t worry,” I say, “I’m not going anywhere.”